“Slaughterhouse-Five”(also known as The Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance With Death) is a science fiction novel that was first published in 1969. This novel is often described as anti-war which is very true. The story revolves around the life of Billy Pilgrim from the early years of his life and the time when was an American soldier to the postwar period of his life when we see him occasionally traveling through time. Billy gets captured by the German Army, survives the bombing of Dresden and becomes the prisoner of war. What is vital to mention in regards to the plot is that Kurt Vonnegut himself was an American serviceman which is why the experience described in the novel is partially autobiographical. This novel is considered to be one of the most enduring anti-war literary works of all time. What is more, it is often praised for its moral clarity and clear anti-war message.

Themes and motifs

War and death is the central and most important theme in the novel. Through the character of Billy Pilgrim we see the attempt to come to terms with the war and its aftermath no matter how hard and brutal this process may be. Kurt Vonnegut is trying to show how necessary it is to accept one’s past war experiences even though this process will not be easy. Postwar experiences are traumatic which is the reason why it is so hard to live with them.

Another clear theme in the novel is religion. God and religion are brought up in order to discuss such issues as redemption and forgiveness. Besides, God is the one of most obvious beings people preach to when they are trying to forgive and forget the atrocities of war they have been a part of. However, not everyone adopts any kind of religious teachings, and there is a clear manifestation of this notion in the novel when some of the characters demonstrate their disregard for religion and God.

It would be impossible to dwell upon the themes in “Slaughterhouse-Five” without touching upon the issue of mental illness. The majority of war veterans experience PTSD. Some of their postwar experiences are hard to accept and deal with, which is the reason why so many soldiers experience mental health problems when they get back home. Billy Pilgrim is an example of a person who did not receive any psychological help after the war. Thus, his traveling through time is the manifestation of untreated mental health issues. Therefore, such traveling is his way of dealing with it.

Symbols

Kurt Vonnegut has incorporated a few significant symbols within the novel. Deconstructing them helps to understand the main message of the novel. The city of Dresden became a symbol of trauma for many people after its bombing. For soldiers who bombed it, it’s an experience they want to forget. For those who got bombed, it is the place where so much pain and suffering has happened that it is hard for them to come to terms with reality. This is a story which is very hard to tell no matter how you try to spin it or which writing approach you take. Thus, we can only imagine how difficult it has been for Kurt Vonnegut to dwell upon these events in his book.

The bird is a recurring symbol that breaks out in song after the bombing, as well as appears on Billy Pilgrim’s hospital window. This bird represents the loss of words as there are no words to describe the atrocities of war. The horse can be viewed as the symbol of showing emotion. Billy Pilgrim sees how a horse has been mistreated and starts crying. This is the only show of emotion Billy demonstrates throughout the whole novel. The last significant symbol to mention is food. Throughout the whole novel we can often see Billy Pilgrim either eating or being around food. The main reason why it is so is that food brings satisfaction, not to mention the fact that eating something delicious can be very comforting. In Billy’s situation food helps to soothe everything around him and makes his suffering a little bit less painful. Another symbol which food represents is wealth and some sort of society status. The better the food, the more well-off a person is.